Cozy
by Thalassina
Summary: Despite the frosty weather, Christmas time in Berk is all warm colors.


With the beginning of December, winter made itself at home in Berk.

Cold winds, snow and ice rolled over the small town, holiday spirit in tow. Festive lights illuminated the streets and plazas, Christmas decorations were saved from their dusty existence and put in every window, garden, and on every house front. Large Christmas trees, adorned with stars and glitter and orbs and colors, marked every popular meeting spot.

One of those was the annual Berk Christmas Fair. It started near city hall, stretched all along the snowy streets of downtown Berk and ended on Hooligan Plaza at the outdoor ice rink. Various booths sold all kinds of decorations, crafted goods, sweets, cute little Christmas gifts, and of course mulled wine.

On Saturday night, the fair was especially crowded. Laughter and music filled the air and wafts of Christmas spices floated around.

A group of young women came strolling down a street, bundled up in warm coats, scarfs and gloves. Their ears and faces were red from the cold and the countermeasure of mulled wine alike. Three of them were walking arm in arm, staggering a little and accidentally bumping into the crowd, snickering when they caught each other again.

"D'you really think we should go to the ice rink?" the girl in the middle asked, voice a bit slurry. "We're not exactly good on our feet right now."

"Psh, we're good," one of her friends answered. "We're gonna nail it."

When they emerged from a knot of people gathered around a waffle stand, a third girl pointed somewhere before them with her finger. "Berk VIP alert!"

The second girl's face lit up upon the sight of her mayor and his family. They were standing in front of a small stand that offered spicy wines and Meade, the unmistakable fiery red beard of Mr. Haddock standing out from the crowd.

The girl unhooked her arm from her friend's and skipped toward them, almost slipping on slushy snow.

"Hey, Hiccup!" she called out and the mayor's son turned around.

"Astrid!" His face broke into a wide smile at the sight of his girlfriend. She threw her arms around him and staggered a little, almost taking him down with her. "You guys seem to be having fun," he remarked when she released him from her hug. Her hands still lingered around his neck and her blue eyes were sparkling.

"Told you we would," she said and took another step closer. "You're warm."

"And you're very tipsy."

"Generous assumption." She smirked.

"Hello Astrid," the booming voice of her boyfriend's father greeted her from the side. "Nice to see you."

Astrid returned his warm smile and waved to his wife. "Hi there."

Her friends reached them by the time she told Hiccup's parents she was here with her girls from work, and they engaged the pair in small talk.

Astrid didn't listen. She was just now realizing exactly _how_ warm it was in Hiccup's arms while snow was gently falling around her, a handful of flakes landing on her skin.

"What are you doing?" Hiccup asked, amusement coating his voice, when she zipped his jacket open. Instead of answering, she slid her hands into his open coat and around his back, hugging him and planting her face on his chest. Humming contentedly, she snuggled into him and closed her eyes. "You're warm," she repeated. She could feel the low vibrations of his chuckle.

He put his chin on her head and tightened his arms around her. He smelled of cinnamon, waffles and Hiccup. Astrid never wanted to leave his embrace.

For a while, they simply enjoyed their hug, only half paying attention to the conversation going on next to them. At some point, it became part of the white noise spectrum that was the Berk Christmas fair.

"Yo, Astrid," her friends pulled her back to reality and made her look up from her cozy place in Hiccup's jacket, "let's keep going."

"The ice rink awaits!"

Sighing, she slowly and a little reluctantly stepped out of the comfy hug and met her boyfriend's eyes, losing herself in them for a short moment. The eye contact and his hands that were still on her waist made her heart skip a beat and a tingling sensation pool in her stomach. She remembered their first kiss one year ago under a mistletoe not far from where they stood right now, and the tingling increased.

At the same moment, she and Hiccup leaned in, eyes closed, and let their lips touch softly. She felt the corners of his mouth go up and her hand moved all on its own to the spot where his heart sat.

"Earth to Astrid, quit being cheesy," a voice yelled in her ear, effectively making her break the kiss by startling her. She glared at her friend but then fully stepped away from Hiccup.

"See you." She waved at his parents and shot him a wide smile before her friends dragged her with them in the direction of the ice rink. She threw one last look back and caught the eyes of her boyfriend. He playfully stuck out his tongue at her and a wave of unrivaled affection spread in her heart.

—––––

It was late when Astrid reached the apartment complex.

Her friends had wanted to convince her to get a cab because it was past 2am and freezing, thick flakes coming down in a never-ending snowfall. But Astrid had simply pulled the hood of her coat up and waved them off. It wouldn't be the first time she'd walked home in the middle of the night.

She'd had to promise her friends to text them, though, as soon as she arrived home. So she took out her phone with freezing fingers and typed in a quick message before fumbling the key out of her pocket.

When she finally opened the door to the apartment, she was hit with warm air and the promise of a cozy bed. As quietly as possible, she took off her jacket and boots, almost falling over while trying to open the zipper of her right boot. Her coat fell from the rack and she flinched at the noise, freezing and listening for a second. When everything stayed quiet, she hung it back up and made her way through the dark apartment and tiptoed into the bedroom.

The only light in the room came from tiny cracks in the blinds and the glowing hands of the clock on the wall. In the dim light, she dressed down to her underwear and blindly reached into the drawer, grabbing the first shirt she found. Pulling it over her head, she tiptoed over to the bed, shivering in the cold and the anticipation of snuggling into the warm covers.

When she lifted the blanket and crawled underneath, the body already occupying the space stirred and the even breathing stopped for a second.

"What the– Astrid?" His voice was sleepy and confused. Astrid hummed and pulled the blanket up to her chin, settling her head on the pillow. "What are you doing here?"

She yawned and snuggled closer to him, taking in his body heat. "Sleeping."

"Why didn't you go home?"

"I did, that's why I'm here."

Hiccup was quiet for a minute and Astrid thought he'd fallen back asleep, slowly drifting off herself, before he suddenly spoke again.

"How drunk are you?"

"Medium." She slung a leg over his hip and put her head on his shoulder. A moment later, she felt his arms reach around her, pulling her closer until she was snug against his chest. He still smelled of cinnamon and something akin to fir tree. Astrid breathed him in deeply.

It was quiet for a while. Her breathing slowed and her limbs were finally warmed up again. Almost off to slumber, she couldn't tell where her body ended and his began. She felt peaceful, like she always did when she was close to him. She never wanted to leave this cloud.

"Hey," she heard him whisper, his fingers lightly stroking her back.

"Hm?"

"Wanna move in?"

"Hmm." A sleepy smile spread on her face.

"Yes?"

"Hmm." She adjusted her head on his shoulder, burying her nose in his shirt. "Now, ssh. Me sleep. Talk later."

"Okay. Love you."

A consenting squeeze of his arm was the last she could do before she lost consciousness, disappearing into cozy dreamland.


End file.
